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Alabama voters pick congressional nominees
By Hastings Wyman
Southern Political Report
June 4, 2008 — Alabama Democrats and Republicans voted in primaries yesterday to choose nominees for this fall’s elections for two open congressional seats. In the 2nd District, the November match-up will be between Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright (D) and the winner of a July 15 GOP runoff. And in the 5th District, the race will be between state Sen. Parker Griffith (D) and the winner of another Republican runoff. Hard-fought battles between the two parties are expected in both districts. 2nd District (Dothan, etc.) In the Republican Primary to nominate a candidate to fill the seat being vacated by 16-year veteran US Rep. Terry Everett (R), with 99% of precincts reporting, state Rep. Jay Love, who put some $450,000 of his own money into his campaign, came in first with 20,166 votes (35%) and will face state Sen. Harri Anne Smith in a runoff. Smith, who had the largest number of individual contributors, had 12,343 votes (22%). Three other candidates were close behind her for the runoff spot. Oral surgeon Craig Schmidtke, who also spent liberally from his own pocket ($525,000), was in third place with 11,349 (20%) and broadcasting executive David Woods was fourth with 9,749 (17%). In addition, state Rep. David Grimes had 2,324 (4%) and John Martin, retired from the Air Force, trailed with 824 (1%). For the Democrats, Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright romped to an easy primary victory, easily defeating two political newcomers. Bright had 20,548 (70%) to 4,566 (16%%) for Cheryl Sabel, president of the Alabama Chapter of the National Organization of Women, and 4,171 (13%) for Cendie Crawley, an African American dentist. Bright, who was also discussed as a potential Republican candidate, is expected to project a moderate image in the General Election campaign. In 2004, Bush carried the district by 67% to 33%. The district is 67% white, 29% black. Given the significantly larger turnout in the Republican Primary -- 56,755 (R) to 20,285 (D) -- as well as the district’s voting history, the outlook is Likely Republican. 5th District (Huntsville, etc.) In the primaries to choose nominees for the vacancy being left by the retirement of 18-year veteran US Rep. Bud Cramer (D), in the Democratic Primary, state Sen. Parker Griffith won an easy victory over political neophyte and physicist David Maker. With 100% of precincts reporting, Griffith polled 34,541 (90%) to Maker’s 3,874 (10%). For the Republicans, insurance executive Wayne Parker, who ran a close race for this seat in 1994 but lost handily in ‘96, will face businesswoman Cheryl Guthrie. Parker had 18,512 votes (49%); Guthrie had 6,941 (18%). She was followed by former state Rep. Angelo Mancuso with 6,158 (16%), lawyer Ray McKee Jr. with 3,342 (9%), salesman George Barry with 2,274 (6%) and musician Mark Huff with 707 (2%). The 5th District has a strong field of local Democratic officeholders and is not as hard-core conservative as much of the state. The Democratic Primary had more participants, but the hotly contested GOP race brought out almost as many voters: 38,415 (D) to 37,934 (R). Bush carried the district in 2004 by 60% to 39%. The district, in Alabama’s formerly hard-scrabble upstate area, transformed by the TVA and the Redstone Arsenal, is 78% white, 17% black. Leans Democratic. US Senate In primaries that attracted little interest, Republicans and Democrats nominated candidates for the US Senate seat currently held by Jeff Sessions. On the Republican side, with 98% of precincts reporting, Sessions had 195,710 votes (92%) to political unknown Earl Mack Gavin’s 16,418 (8%). There was a somewhat more competitive race in the Democratic Primary. State Sen. Vivian Figures won an easy victory -- 108,708 votes (63%) to attorney Johnny Swanson, III’s 38,123 (22%) and campaign maverick Mark Townsend’s 24,676 (14%). Figures and Swanson are African-American; Townsend is white. Sessions is a heavy favorite in November. |
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